Kevin Williamson has described his new drama The Following as a "fast-paced... adrenaline rush".

The 15-episode thriller series - which debuts on Fox in the US on January 21 and will premiere in the UK on Sky Atlantic the next day - stars Kevin Bacon as FBI agent Ryan Hardy and James Purefoy as his serial killer nemesis Joe Carroll.

"People, now, have seen everything before," Williamson told the Los Angeles Times. "Before, people could sort of watch dramas with four-act structures, and you could sort of tell the story slower because you had 22 episodes.

"Today's audience - particularly the audience I aim my computer at - is very fast-paced. It's the audience who can turn the page faster than I can write it. I like it. I like the adrenaline."

Williamson - who co-created The CW series The Vampire Diaries and wrote the movie Scream and its sequel - explained that Fox's 24 had served as a strong influence on The Following.

"After the experience I had with The Vampire Diaries, I wanted to do another show that had that sort of adrenaline rush," he explained.

"24 is like my favourite show of all time and I thought if I could marry those worlds a little bit and just sort of do a fast-paced thriller, that would be fun."

The Following also stars Natalie Zea (Justified) and Shawn Ashmore (X-Men).